With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 for a conventional ratchet wrench with a direction switching structure, the ratchet wrench comprises: an axial slot 51, formed in a wrench body 5 for containing and installing a ratchet wheel 52 and a control slot 53 interconnected to the axial slot 51, and the control slot 53 having a ratcheting member 54 engaged with the ratchet wheel 52; a switching member 6, installed in a pivot slot 55 and capable of driving a pin 61 to swing, and the pin 61 being pushed by a spring 62 to touch the ratcheting member 54, such that a user can switch the direction of the switching member 6 to achieve the effects of turning the ratcheting member 54 and switching the rotating direction of the ratchet wheel 52, so as to facilitate tightening or loosening a fastener. In addition to the function of using the ratcheting member 54 to switch the rotating direction of the ratchet wheel 52, the pin 61 also has the function of preventing components from falling out from the wrench body 5 by stopping the pin 61 by the wall of the control slot 53 for the position purpose, so as to fix the switching member 6 into the pivot slot 55.
Since the pin 61 has to provide the function of fixing the position of each component as well, therefore its function of turning the ratcheting member 54 can just push at the top of the ratcheting member 54. However, such arrangement may give rise to an unsecured engagement between the bottom of the ratcheting member 54 and the top of the ratchet wheel 52, and these components may be slipped off and separated from each other because the forces are concentrated to push the top of the ratcheting member 54 when the pin 61 turns the ratcheting member 54, and thus affecting the normal operation of the ratchet wrench. Particularly, a relatively large wrench may have the slip more often.
In addition, the pin 61 has both functions of turning the ratcheting member 54 and fixing the position of each component, and thus the ratchet wheel, the ratcheting member and the switching member must be installed at their corresponding positions at one time during the assembling process of the ratchet wrench, and there is only one assembling process without any other alternatives.